The coronavirus pandemic has reminded us that nothing is guaranteed. Everyday aspects of life we took for granted have disappeared – graduation ceremonies, restaurants, toilet paper, maybe even your job or income. It feels like we aren’t in control any more.
We never were.
While many of the ideas I discuss on this blog revolve around the concept of managing your life in a way that maximizes your health, wealth and happiness, it’s important to remember that we can only really control our internal world of thoughts, decisions and reactions. We often assume we are in control of our external world (I click a button on Amazon and almonds are brought to my doorstep), but that illusion has been shattered in recent weeks.
That said, the things we can control can help us be better prepared to weather the storm of the uncontrollable, such as having multiple years of expenses saved up, staying in good physical shape and being able to cook your own food. The benefits of living a simpler and more financially sustainable lifestyle become obvious when shit goes sideways and folks who were spending as much as they earned suddenly cannot sustain their lifestyle.
So let this weird hiccup in our lives be a reminder to control what we can, accept what we cannot, and live in a way that is less dependent on uncontrollable, external circumstances.
#MoneyGoals
Pictured: Practicing controlling my thoughts next to the infamously uncontrollable Lake Superior, July 2019.